Adirondack Autumn ‘09 (by Ian Plant)

Hi all, just got back from 10 days of shooting in the Adirondack High Peaks in upstate New York. I don’t really have any exciting adventures to report, as I spent the first half of my trip leading a workshop and the second half filming video, along with fellow Mountain Trail team member Richard Bernabe, for our upcoming instructional DVD. Despite the fact that I didn’t get any time to go tromping alone through the wilderness, I did manage to make some decent images along the way. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites, and describe how each was made.

The first image below was made at the very peak of fall color. Richard, his father, and I hiked to the top of Mt. Van Hoevenberg in the hopes of catching some decent light at sunset. Richard’s father, at 70 years old, is built like a tank and can out hike most people one-third his age. He hiked with us for several days, and just kept going like the Energizer bunny. He’d always hike behind Richard and I, saying each time “I’ll protect our rear from the enemy.” I laughed whenever he said this, until I realized that this brawny former Marine probably knew all sorts of useful things, like how to kill a man with a sharpened pencil and a rubber band. I stopped laughing. Actually, Richard Sr. was a real pleasure to have along, and a heck of a nice guy. 

Anyway, back to Mt. Van Hoevenberg. We got to the top and the clouds came rolling in, streaking swiftly across the sky. Our hopes of great light were dashed, but an opportunity of another sort emerged. The fall color in the valley below was simply stunning, and was glowing in the soft overcast light. Richard and I experimented with long exposures. I stacked several neutral density filters in front of my lens to get a thirty-second exposure. Several of my “neutral” density filters use the term quite loosely, and in fact have a slight magenta twang to them. For this image, the magenta cast worked to my advantage, as it gave some color to the sky and really caused the reds of the foliage to pop. The result, I believe, successfully conveys the feeling I had standing atop the mountain, looking down at one of the most incredible fall color displays I have ever seen. 

“Adirondack Fantasy”: A thirty second exposure blurs streaking clouds above brilliant color.

This next image was made on the West Branch of the Ausable River, one of the best places I know for photographing reflections of autumn foliage. The Ausable is a rushing mountain stream, tumbling over rapids and small waterfalls on its journey to Lake Champlain. Early in the morning on a clear day, reflected fall color can be juxtaposed with the cool tones of rocks and water in shadow, lit only by light bouncing off the blue sky above. For this image, I was attracted to the curve created by the rocks, and continued by the horseshoe-shaped rapids. The contrast of warm and cool tones further enhances the shape.  

“Monument Falls”: It was important for the stream to be in shadow when I made this image.

The image below is perhaps my favorite from the trip, although the most subtle. I discovered this scene along the “Flume” of Gill Brook in the Adirondack Mountain Reserve. Turning this chaotic jumble of autumn foliage and rushing water into a coherent picture was a real challenge. The stream flowing through the background of the image, the radiating shape of the foreground tree, and the intersection of several abstract lines in the upper left of the image all provide compositional structure. I find chaotic scenes to be much more fulfilling than working with simpler scenes, but I suspect most viewers don’t share my sentiment. Rather, it seems that very simple compositions tend to get a positive reaction more so than complex ones.

“Flume Foliage”: Chaotic scenes require abstract thinking to make order out of chaos. See my recent article on NPN for more information about learning the art of abstract image-making.

While exploring along Phelps Brook in the High Peaks Wilderness, I came upon this curled birch bark covered in fallen leaves. While I have no problem whatsoever with arranging fall foliage scenes, this one was pretty much found as is, making it all the more special. I removed some debris from the top of the birch bark, but otherwise kept the scene intact. To me, the curled birch bark is reminiscent of an ancient scroll. Moments after making this image, it started to rain, hard and steady, for about an hour.

“The Scroll of Life”: Ancient parchment tells the story of life, death, and rebirth in the forest.

This final image was made in the Adirondack Mountain Reserve on Wedge Brook. Richard was photographing the lower cascades of this waterfall while I explored the slippery upper cascades. After some slipping and sliding, I managed to work my way down to a precarious perch at the bottom of the upper cascades, standing on the edge of the twenty foot cliff that made up the lower cascades. After getting into position, I knew I had found something worth all my effort. Although it is something I tend not to do often, for this image I applied a gaussian blur layer at reduced opacity in Photoshop, to simulate a “soft focus” look for the image. Doing so reduced contrast and color saturation, and gave the image a softer, misty look, which to me helped capture the magic of the place.

“Wedge Brook Cascades”: The curving flow of the water and the dash of autumn color drew me to this scene, despite the danger of slipping and falling!

To see more of my Adirondack images, visit the Gallery page on my website.

~ by mountaintrailphoto on October 12, 2009.